Workflow automation
Do you spend a lot of your day on routine, repetitive tasks? Or are you always waiting for information to be sent to you so that you can get started on your work? If so, you are one of countless people who could benefit from workflow automation. Workflow automation is a game-changer for those who want to make work more efficient so they can focus on what really matters. Learn everything you need to know about workflow automation here.
What is workflow automation?
Workflow automation refers to the use of workflow management technology to automate any tasks, processes, or business workflows that are usually performed manually. It enables you to automatically perform repetitive tasks, trigger actions based on certain conditions, and manage decisions with limited human involvement.
With workflow automation software, you can automate everything from routine tasks like data entry and document management to complex processes like employee onboarding or the approval process. As such, it provides you with a range of benefits. Workflow automation enables you to increase your daily output, reduce mistakes, and give yourself more time to focus on higher-value tasks.
Who is workflow automation for?
If you, your team, or your organization have complex, multi-system manual processes, workflow automation tools could benefit you. One of the great things about workflow automation is that it’s not limited to individual industries or departments. Finance, human resources (HR), marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) teams, and sales can all benefit from automated workflows.
Workflow automation vs. RPA: What’s the difference?
If you’re familiar with other automation technologies like robotic process automation (RPA), you might be wondering how they differ. Essentially, both workflow automation and RPA focus on automating time-consuming tasks, but they differ in scope and functionality.
Workflow automation typically involves automating a series of tasks within a wider business process, including processes that span systems and departments. RPA, on the other hand, focuses on automating specific, repetitive tasks by mimicking human interactions with digital systems. Effectively, workflow automation automates broader, more complex workflows, while RPA is intended for specific tasks.
What are the benefits of workflow automation?
Businesses and users that incorporate workflow automation into their daily business processes typically realize a wide range of benefits, from optimizing workflows to lowering business costs. Common benefits of workflow automation include:
Increased efficiency
Automation reduces manual tasks, streamlines processes, and speeds up workflows, enhancing overall business operations.
Greater consistency
By limiting human involvement to where it’s necessary, workflow automation reduces the risk of human errors, ensuring consistency.
Lower costs
Getting more done in less time and with fewer mistakes adds up to reduced operational expenses and improved profitability.
Improved collaboration
Workflow automation helps employees manage task assignments, helping inter-team communication and coordination while reducing bottlenecks.
Better decision-making
Real-time data and end-to-end process visibility allow for quicker, data-driven decisions and improve overall process management.
How to implement workflow automation
If you want to try workflow automation but don't know how it works, here are some steps you can take to automate workflow processes.
1. Identify the workflow
The first step is to identify the workflow that you wish to automate. The best candidates are those that are complex, inefficient, prone to errors, or expensive. Even workflows that include many systems and departments can be automated. If you don't know which of your workflows are best for automation, technologies like process mining can help you find them.
2. Define all aspects of the workflow
Once you’ve identified the workflow you’d like to automate, you’ll need to define all aspects of it. This can include the endpoints, individual steps, required apps and systems used, avenues of data input, and people involved.
3. Develop and build the automation
Once you have a firm understanding of all involved aspects, you need to develop the automations that can carry out the workflow with minimal human intervention. Since workflow automation includes complex processes, you will likely need someone with a technical and coding background to build the required automations.
4. Test it
Once the automation has been developed, you need to test it to make sure it works as intended. If any errors arise, now is the time to fix them.
5. Deploy it
Once the automation works as it is meant to, you can deploy it. If any people are involved in the workflow, you will need to train them to be sure they understand how to use it.
6. Monitor and optimize
Finally, once the automated workflow is deployed, you will need to monitor it and make any improvements to ensure its continued accuracy and efficiency.
Workflow automation use cases
Workflow automation can benefit all types of workflows Some examples of workflow automation use cases include:
Invoice processing: automate the receipt, validation, and approval of invoices, reducing manual data entry and ensuring timely payments.
Employee onboarding: automate the onboarding process by sending the necessary documents, scheduling training, and setting up accounts and devices for new hires.
Customer support ticketing: automatically route customer inquiries to the appropriate departments and track issue resolution progress to improve customer experience.
Marketing campaign management: automate email campaigns, lead generation, and follow-up processes based on customer interactions and behaviors.
Expense approval: streamline the submission, review, and approval of employee expense reports with automatic notifications and status updates.
Cybersecurity incident response: automatically shut down systems and send alerts to necessary parties when breaches or other incidents are identified.
Achieve business-wide automations with process orchestration
If your organization has complex, company-wide processes that you’d like to automate, Process Orchestration is the tool for you. With Process Orchestration, you can:
Optimize business process management.
Automate cross-functional processes.
Connect team members and key stakeholders with end-to-end visibility over processes.
Expand your automation program with seamless human/robot interaction and scalability.
If you’re ready to connect your business with seamless integration, discover the power of Process Orchestration.
